SALINE CO.—After months of investigation into a mobile meth lab explosion from last November, it appears that arrests have been made in the case.
Roger Combs, 27, of Harrisburg, and Mary Beth Hutchison, 34, of Eldorado, have both been arrested in connection with the incident in which Hutchison was seriously burned and spent many days in a burn unit in St. Louis.
With her in the vehicle—an extended-cab pickup—was Combs, who was also burned in the explosion, but not as severely as Hutchison.
There were reportedly two others in the truck with them as they traveled across the county roads in the Galatia area on the night of Nov. 30, 2012, but as of press time (Feb. 10), no one else was reported to have been arrested with the pair.
Exploding generator
Family told Disclosure that Hutchison was the unfortunate passenger tasked with holding a “generator” (reportedly a pop bottle of some sort) where meth was actively cooking, this being positioned on her lap while the white S10 extended cab Chevy was rolling across the back roads when, either from all the jostling or from Combs (who was in the back of the cab with her) actually pushing Hutchison’s face down on the generator, it exploded, blowing out the window on the driver’s side of the cab and severely burning Hutchison’s face.
Combs was reported to have been burned as well, but not as severely as Hutchison. The driver of the pickup was reported to have first dropped off his other passenger (the mysterious fourth person in the truck) and all the meth lab evidence at a residence in Galatia, then took Hutchison and Combs to the hospital in Harrisburg, from where both were transferred to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, this also according to family.
Hutchison was placed on life support and released later that week; Combs was released the following day.
Subsequent busts
In the ensuing weeks, Hutchison managed to get arrested for pot possession in Eldorado December 12, and Combs managed to get hooked up with another woman, Shelley Pickering-Thomas, despite having Hutchison’s name tattooed (badly) across his forehead.
It was Pickering who was with him on New Years’ Eve when he got busted for Aggravated Battery after allegedly beating and stabbing Jason Teegarden at Poor Boys in Harrisburg.
It was Pickering, 41, who managed to get a relative (reported incorrectly in the last issue, January/February 2013, as being Pickering’s mother; Pickering’s mother is deceased. It was instead Pickering’s son Brandon, according to sources) to post bond for Combs to spring him with $2,500 cash.
Reportedly, Pickering then somehow managed to convince Combs to marry her so she wouldn’t be able to testify against him in any upcoming proceedings. This has, however, not been definitively confirmed, as no such union exists on record in Saline County, and may have been conducted across the river in Kentucky…and also doesn’t guarantee a thing, as the alleged crime occurred before the alleged union, were it to actually have taken place at all.
Awaiting probation revocation hearing
Combs’ released status allowed him to run around free until the afternoon of Friday, February 8, when he was picked up right about the same time the gal whose name remains tatted across his forehead was. Both were charges with Unlawful Participation in Meth Manufacturing and Unlawful Possession of Meth Manufacturing Materials.
Both are facing a $50,000 bail ($5,000 cash bond) each.
It’s unclear whether Pickering will be able to get another relative to scramble around and get a quick cash loan so the county can be a few thousand more to the good, or whether Combs is just going to have to sit this one out.
A petition to revoke Combs’ probation on a January 2012 Criminal Damage to Property charge was filed shortly after the early 2013 Battery charges were entered, and he had been set for a probation violation hearing on Feb. 11.
The outcome of that, as well as any subsequent hearings on Hutchison’s case—and any further arrests in the meth-making and/or explosion, as there are still two out there associated with it—will be examined in upcoming issues.